Scrap stripper for printer

ABSTRACT

In web printers the printed material is transferred to the web, whereafter the web is folded and cut so that the units of finished printing are identical. The cutting may be accomplished by radial knives on the surface of a cylindrical roll cooperating with an anvil on a cylindrical roll. When the length of the cut web, whether a single sheet or a folded sheet, is not divisible evenly into the circumference of the cutting drum there is of necessity a remaining scrap of the web which must be removed from the printing mechanism. A plurality of end sharpened pins are preferably positioned on the anvil roller and are arranged to penetrate and pick up the surplus web material. A stationary stripper is positioned closely adjacent the web impaling pins. The stripper includes a plurality of spaced apart tapered fingers which pass adjacent the web penetrating pins to remove the scrap web portions from the cylinder and permit its ready discharge from the printing process.

United States Patent 1 Gregoire SCRAP STRIPPER FOR PRINTER Clyde G. Gregoire, 4N194 Briar Ln., Bensenville, [114 60106 22 Filed: May 22,1974

211 Appl.No.:472,ll7

[76] inventor:

Primary Examiner-Donald R. Schran Attorney, Agent, or FirmKenneth T. Snow [57] ABSTRACT In web printers the printed material is transferred to 1 July 8,1975

the web, whereafter the web is folded and cut so that the units of finished printing are identical. The cutting may be accomplished by radial knives on the surface of a cylindrical roll cooperating with an anvil on a cylindrical roll. When the length of the cut web. whether a single sheet or a folded sheet, is not divisible evenly into the circumference of the cutting drum there is of necessity a remaining scrap of the web which must be removed from the printing mechanism. A plurality of end sharpened pins are preferably positioned on the anvil roller and are arranged to penetrate and pick up the surplus web material. A stationary stripper is positioned closely adjacent the web impaling pins. The stripper includes a plurality of spaced apart tapered fingers which pass adjacent the web penetrating pins to remove the scrap web portions from the cylinder and permit its ready discharge from the printing pro- 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures 1 SCRAP STRIPPER FOR PRINTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Rotary cutters have been used by the printing industry for many years. The cutting of strips or webs of paper by printers is becoming more commonplace. This is especially true as the printing of small booklets is becoming more fully automated. In the past, book or booklet printing was made by imprinting multiple pages on large sheets of paper whereafter the sheets were delivered to a binder who had to cut up the sheets and then bind the pages in book form. When the books was bound a cutter or shear was employed to trim the edges of the pages so they were even. Now, with web printing and concurrent folding and cutting of the web simultaneously with the printing, multiple page books or booklets need no longer be separately bound.

Accurate cutting of the web sheets is an important factor in such book making operations. Cooperative rollers are employed to accomplish cutting of the paper. One roller carries a cutting knife while the other roller constitutes an anvil roller. The radial adjustment of the knife is critical as it must just meet the surface of the preferably steel anvil roller to uniformly cut through a single sheet or multiple sheets of paper without digging into the anvil roller. Attention is directed to my copending application, Ser. No. 378,956, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,314 which shows various cutter mounts.

Many roller mounts have been tried and most have been found wanting. This is especially true when two or more knives have been mounted on the same roller to cut several pages in succession with but one revolution of the knife holding roller. Previous devices invariably produced different lengths of pages and the resultant book was sloppy looking when compared to bindery sheared book pages.

The present invention is concerned with such roller cutters and particularly a cutter which will pick up and dispose of paper or web scrap that is present when the dimension of the booklet is not evenly divisible into the circumference of the roller. In the past unusually complex rolls were necessary to receive knife mounts usually the rollers were equipped with cut-out portions and the knife mount recessed below the rollers cylindrical surface. In such constructions only the knife would project over the cylindrical surface of the roller a slight amount. Applicants present device contemplates the positioning of the mount directly onto the outer cylindrical surface so the mount may be placed and locked in infinitely variable positions on the carrying roller. Also. if two or more knives are mounted on the roller they can be accurately spaced apart any desired distance. This results in booklets of uniform pages without any after shearing. However, the circumference of the cutting roller is a fixed dimension and the booklets made must be of a length equal to or less than that circumference. If one knife is used the cutter will cut once on each revolution. By using two or more knives the length of the booklets may be varied as desired. When the circumference equals an exact whole number multiple of the length of the booklet all of the printed web is useable. In many instances this is not true and this results in a remaining scrap after the booklet is cut from the web. It is the function of the present device to employ web impaling pins on the anvil roller to pick up the scrap pieces as they are cut loose. Then, with a stripping device the scrap pieces are removed from the anvil roller at a position remote from the cutting surface and thereupon disposed of so it will not interfere with the finished printed matter.

2. Description of the Prior Art A search of the prior art in the printing field failed to produce any disclosure of cooperative cutting rolls with one roller having means to pick up scrap paper from the other roller and including means adjacent to the rollers to subsequently strip and dispose of that scrap paper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principal object of the present invention is to provide scrap paper pick-up means for cooperative roll web cutters in the printing field.

An important object of this invention is to provide a device as set forth in the preceding object in which there is included means for subsequently stripping the scrap paper from the pick-up means.

Another important object of this invention is to provide cooperative cutting and anvil rollers for use in cutting printing machine webs and including scrap paper pick-up means on the anvil roller.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a device in which the scrap paper pick-up means of the preceding object includes a plurality of end sharpened pins for impaling and picking up the scrap paper from the cutting roller.

A still further important object of this invention is to provide a device of the preceding object which includes a scrap paper stripping device including a plurality of spaced apart fingers disposed adjacent a remote side of the anvil roller to effect a stripping of the scrap paper from its pin impalement as the pins pass between the spaced stripping fingers.

Other and further important objects and advantages will become apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and the following description.

IN THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a section of a printing machine which includes cooperative paper cutting rollers and the scrap paper pick-up and stripper of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the anvil roller showing the mounting of the scrap paper impaling pins therein.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the device of FIG. 1 and showing the scrap paper stripping device employed to remove the scrap paper from its impalement on the pins.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken through the cooperative cutter and anvil rollers and showing the scrap paper pick-up and stripping device and with one set of the impaling pick-up pins moving toward impalement of the scrap paper on the cutting roller and the other set of pick-up pins moving toward the stripping fingers.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4 but with the cutting roller not shown and the parts moved relative to each other to the point where the stripping fingers have removed the scrap paper from the pick-up pins.

AS SHOWN IN THE DRAWINGS:

The reference numeral indicates generally a section of a printing press which is provided with vertically disposed. spaced apart, parallel end walls 11 and 12. The section 10 carries a rotatable web cutting roller 13 and a cooperating rotatable anvil roller 14. The cutting roller is provided with radially extending and longitudinally disposed knives 15, 16, 17 and 18 as best shown in FIG. 4. For detail disclosures of the mounts for the knives attention is directed to my copending patent application entitled ROTARY CUTTER and having Ser. No. 378,956. A printed web 19 is shown passing between the cooperative rollers 13 and 14 in FIG. 4. The anvil roller 14 is equipped with scrap paper impaling pins, and on a side of the anvil roller remote from its cooperating surface with the cutting roller 13, there is provided a scrap paper stripping device.

For a better immediate understanding of the function of the device of this invention FIGS. 4 and S will be described before FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 4 the anvil roller 14 is equipped with a pin 20 which is about to penetrate that portion of the web 19 located between the spaced apart knives and 16. This portion of the web 19 is designated by the numeral 21 and is defined as a scrap paper. As shown in FIG. 5 the scrap paper part 21 is impaled on the sharp ended pin 20. In the particular device illustrated the anvil roller 14 is also equipped with another sharpened pin 22 which is substantially diametrically disposed from the pin 20. As shown in FIG. 4 the pin 22 has impaled thereon a scrap paper 23 which had been previously cut out of the web 19 by the other set of spaced apart knives l7 and 18. The anvil roller 14 rotates in the direction of the arrow 24 and it will be seen in FIG. 5 that the scrap holding pin has moved downwardly away from the cutting knives l5 and 16 and similarly the scrap holding pin 22 has moved upwardly on the back side of the anvil roller.

A stationary stripping finger 25 is located adjacent the back side of the anvil roller 14. The finger 25 is carried on the bracket 26 in a manner to permit a limited amount of adjustment of the stripping finger relative to the surface of the anvil roller. The stripping finger 25 is formed with a tapered end 27 which operates to best strip when it is disposed very close to the surface of the cylindrical anvil roller. In FIG. 5 the finger 25 is shown in the process of stripping the paper scrap 23 from the pin 22 where it may freely fall downwardly out of the way of the printing process. A supporting rod 28 spans and is carried in the spaced apart parallel end walls 11 and 12. It is to this support that the bracket 26 is attached by a weld 29.

From the above it is evident that the cross sectional views of FIGS. 4 and 5 depict the functional relationships of the pins used to impale scrap paper and the stripping fingers used to remove the scrap paper from those pins. From FIGS. 2 and 3 it will become evident that the pins and the stripping fingers are in fact long rows of pins and fingers which are capable of picking up and then stripping scrap paper of any width left over from printed web booklets.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the enlarged perspective view of the anvil roller is partially exploded to show how the pins 20 and 22 are mounted in the roller. The roller includes one or more elongated recesses 30 extending parallel to the axis of the roller and longitudinally of the roller on the cylindrical surface thereof. An elongated block 31 is of a size to snuggly fit in the elongated recesses in the surface of the roller 14. The pins 22 (which are the ones shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) are arranged in longitudinal alignment and are uniformly spaced apart in equi-distant increments. The sharp ended pins 22 preferably have their shanks press fitted in the pin receiving block 31. Several block attaching screws 32 are adapted to pass radially through openings 33 in the block 31 and thereupon threadedly engage internally threaded holes 34 in the roller 14 in the base of the recess 30. When the screws 32 are drawn up tightly the pin holding block 31 becomes integral with the roller 14 and with its row of pins 22 projecting radially outwardly of the surface of the roller. The stripping mechanism as previously described as it was shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 3. The fingers 25 are in fact a plurality of in-line equi-distant spaced apart fingers and are formed on an integral part of a plate member 35. The plate 35 is attached at right angles by means of bolts 36 to a heavy plate member 37. This plate 37 is in turn fastened by means of bolts 38 to the bracket 26, which as defined previously, is weldably attached at 29 to the cross beam support 28. The bolts 38 pass through elongated and somewhat enlarged slots 39 in the plate member 37 to provide the limited adjustability of the line of stripping fingers 25 relative to the surface of the anvil roller 14. The tapered ends 27 of the stripping fingers 25 are adjusted so they are just a minute distance away from the surface of the anvil roller 14. The spacing of the impaling pins 22 and the stripping fingers 25 is such that the pins pass between adjacent fingers at which time the tapered stripping fingers scoop up any scrap paper held on the pins. The rotation of the roller 14 in the direction of the arrow 24 causes the inclined finger ends to raise the scrap paper from the pins 22. And, as rotation of the roller continues the scrap paper is barred from further rotation with that roller. Thus the scrap paper is removed from further involvement with the printing process as it drops down behind the anvil roller. A scrap paper receiving receptacle may be provided in the area behind the anvil roller if that seems desirable. However, as such a receptacle is not part of the present invention it has not been shown.

OPERATION OF THE DEVICE The section of the printing press with which the present invention is concerned employs cooperative rollers through which a printed web is passed to be cut to a desired size. One of the rollers is a cutting roller and the other roller is an anvil roller. The user positions the axially disposed knives on the outer cylindrical surface of the roller to give the finished length of web printed booklet desired. As previously explained there is a good chance certain of the web will have to be scrap and it is with the removal of such scrap that this invention is concerned. The knives l5 and 16 are used to define and depict the length of scrap paper or web to be cut from the finished printed web matter. This scrap piece 21 being severed from the remainder of the web after both knives 15 and 16 pass the anvil roller is impaled on the radially directed sharp pins 20 carried on the anvil roller. This pin impalement is the first step in the disposal of the scrap. Now, the scrap paper moves down around the anvil roller and up the back side where it is stripped from the impalement pins by the stripping fingers 25. The intercalation of the stripping fingers with the pins causes the removal of the scrap from the pins and a discarding of that scrap on the back side of the anvil roller which is out of the way of the printing process.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles disclosed herein and I therefore do not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise that as necessitated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A scrap paper retrieval and stripper from a printing press cutter of the type having a rotatable cutting roller and a cooperative rotatable anvil roller, comprising a pair of arcuately spaced apart paper cutting knives extending longitudinally on the circumference of said rotatable cutting roller, a plurality of longitudinally disposed in-line equally spaced apart radial pins projecting from the surface of the anvil roller and adapted to impale the paper at a position substantially midway between said arcuately spaced apart knives to thereby hold a severed piece of scrap paper from the cutting roller after the two knives have passed their cutting contact with the anvil roller, and a plurality of longitudinally disposed in-line equally spaced apart rigid tapered stationary stripping fingers located closely adjacent the surface of the anvil roller at a position remote from its cooperative engagement with the cutting roller, said longitudinally spaced apart pins intercalated relative to the longitudinal spaced apart tapered fingers, whereby upon rotation of the anvil roller the plurality of impaling pins pick up the freed scrap paper and carry it around to the stripping fingers for effecting a positive removal of the scrap paper from its impalement on the pins so that upon continued rotation of the rollers the operation may be repeated without any scrap paper interfering with a succeeding cutting and impaling operation. 

1. A scrap paper retrieval and stripper from a printing press cutter of the type having a rotatable cutting roller and a cooperative rotatable anvil roller, comprising a pair of arcuately spaced apart paper cutting knives extending longitudinally on the circumference of said rotatable cutting roller, a plurality of longitudinally disposed in-line equally spaced apart radial pins projecting from the surface of the anvil roller and adapted to impale the paper at a position substantially midway between said Arcuately spaced apart knives to thereby hold a severed piece of scrap paper from the cutting roller after the two knives have passed their cutting contact with the anvil roller, and a plurality of longitudinally disposed in-line equally spaced apart rigid tapered stationary stripping fingers located closely adjacent the surface of the anvil roller at a position remote from its cooperative engagement with the cutting roller, said longitudinally spaced apart pins intercalated relative to the longitudinal spaced apart tapered fingers, whereby upon rotation of the anvil roller the plurality of impaling pins pick up the freed scrap paper and carry it around to the stripping fingers for effecting a positive removal of the scrap paper from its impalement on the pins so that upon continued rotation of the rollers the operation may be repeated without any scrap paper interfering with a succeeding cutting and impaling operation. 